City agree €100m deal for Bouaddi: Romano confirms

The deal

City and Lille have reached full agreement at club level, according to CaughtOffside's report on Romano and Hawkins, with the fee sitting at a reported €100m. Personal terms and a medical are still to be completed.

At €100m, Bouaddi becomes one of the most expensive midfielders City have ever signed.

What Bouaddi brings

Still a teenager, Bouaddi has spent the past two seasons establishing himself as one of the most technically complete young midfielders in Ligue 1. He reads the game ahead of his years, presses with purpose and carries the ball through lines rather than around them. Lille built their system around him: he made over 30 Ligue 1 appearances last season before turning 19.

For Pep Guardiola, the profile fits. City's midfield has been in transition since Rodri's injury disrupted their 2024-25 season, and Bouaddi is the kind of player who can grow into the controlling role Guardiola has always demanded from the centre of the pitch.

Where he fits at the Etihad

City are not buying Bouaddi to sit on the bench. At €100m, he is a project and a starter, probably in that order. The expectation will be that he beds in alongside more experienced heads before taking full ownership of the position, but Guardiola has never been shy about throwing young players into the deep end when he believes in them.

Lille, for their part, will receive a fee that transforms their summer and their transfer ambitions. They held out for top dollar and got it.